Tory, UUP and DUP voting alliance!

[ziggysego]

The Conservatives and the leaderships of the Ulster Unionists and the Democratic Unionist Party held secret talks in England over the weekend, aimed at realeising unionist unity and copper fastening maximum unionist support for a future Conservative government, should there be a hung parliament. Speaking tonight a Conservaitve spokesperson said Mr Paterson held private talks with a number of senior unionist politicians in English. The purpose of which to help greater political stability.

It is already known that the Conservatives had an electoral pact with the Ulster Unionists, but the involvement of the Democratic Unionists comes as a surprise. They were represented at the talks by no less than Peter Robinson, Nigel Dodds and Sammy Wilson.

The discussion revolved around the question of Unionist unity and possibility of a global unionist support in the eventuality of a hung parliament.

The negotiations at Stormont are reaching a critical points with SF being prescriptive in demanding the full implementation of the St Andrews Agreement and nothing less. DUP insiders are saying "It's not a case of a deal at any price".

Tonight the Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin is having talks with Martin McGuinness and will later meet with the Northern Irish Secretary of State, Shawn Woodward.

Eamonn Mallie @ 06:06 PM

I read this on Slugger earlier this evening. If true, this is terrible. It looks like the Tories are set to get into power again in Britain and it'll be back to the bad old days of the 80s and 90s, where the Unionist potentially held the balance of power.

[Orior]

The Conservatives and the leaderships of the Ulster Unionists and the Democratic Unionist Party held secret talks in England over the weekend, aimed at realeising unionist unity and copper fastening maximum unionist support for a future Conservative government, should there be a hung parliament. Speaking tonight a Conservaitve spokesperson said Mr Paterson held private talks with a number of senior unionist politicians in English. The purpose of which to help greater political stability.

It is already known that the Conservatives had an electoral pact with the Ulster Unionists, but the involvement of the Democratic Unionists comes as a surprise. They were represented at the talks by no less than Peter Robinson, Nigel Dodds and Sammy Wilson.

The discussion revolved around the question of Unionist unity and possibility of a global unionist support in the eventuality of a hung parliament.

The negotiations at Stormont are reaching a critical points with SF being prescriptive in demanding the full implementation of the St Andrews Agreement and nothing less. DUP insiders are saying "It's not a case of a deal at any price".

Tonight the Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin is having talks with Martin McGuinness and will later meet with the Northern Irish Secretary of State, Shawn Woodward.

Eamonn Mallie @ 06:06 PM

I read this on Slugger earlier this evening. If true, this is terrible. It looks like the Tories are set to get into power again in Britain and it'll be back to the bad old days of the 80s and 90s, where the Unionist potentially held the balance of power.

I suppose they had to speak English for the Tories who wouldnt understand ulster scots.

Anyway, this news moves the whole british occupation thing onto a new level.  The tories who sold ulster out by having secret talks with the IRA and signing the Anglo-Irish Agreement are now bed partners to the little ulster men intent on hanging on to the great british empire.

[Hereiam]

This doesn't surprise me one bit. I have said it all along, Britain will never give up this place but it will continue to run its PR bullshit to keep us kind hearted nationalists happy. Anyone who thinks there will be a United Ireland by peaceful means needs there head examined. The south is leaderless I have no doubt the British government could buy & sell Cowan as he just doesn't cut it as a leader. Its hard to say it but war is the only way a United Ireland will come about, but that won't happen anytime soon. This place is a bomb waiting to explode

[Orior]

Errr, I hope you're wrong!

Anyway, maybe too many people are more worried about their next paycheque rather than paying homage to Her Majesty the Queen of England.

[Ulick]

Personally I think it's excellent news. It will fracture unionism even more in the long run (don't forget the big budget cuts down theee road) and be proof positive for all progresive thinking people, if it was ever needed, that the north is and always be a failed sectarian entity. The outworking of that will be the continued growth of Irish nationalism and republicanism as unionism weakens.

[Tonto]

This doesn't surprise me one bit. I have said it all along, Britain will never give up this place but it will continue to run its PR bullshit to keep us kind hearted nationalists happy. Anyone who thinks there will be a United Ireland by peaceful means needs there head examined. The south is leaderless I have no doubt the British government could buy & sell Cowan as he just doesn't cut it as a leader. Its hard to say it but war is the only way a United Ireland will come about, but that won't happen anytime soon. This place is a bomb waiting to explode

Not a big fan of democracy, then?

[orangeman]

This doesn't surprise me one bit. I have said it all along, Britain will never give up this place but it will continue to run its PR bullshit to keep us kind hearted nationalists happy. Anyone who thinks there will be a United Ireland by peaceful means needs there head examined. The south is leaderless I have no doubt the British government could buy & sell Cowan as he just doesn't cut it as a leader. Its hard to say it but war is the only way a United Ireland will come about, but that won't happen anytime soon. This place is a bomb waiting to explode

Not a big fan of democracy, then?

Democracy ? What democracy ?

The politicians in Stormont weren't exactly great democrats all their lives.

[Orior]

Is there a difference between democracy and majority rule?

[Canalman]

Will cause problems for SDLP/SF in Sth Belfast and Fermanagh/Sth Tyrone if unity unionist candidates agreed upon. Probably UUP in Belfast and DUP in F/ST.

[stew]

This doesn't surprise me one bit. I have said it all along, Britain will never give up this place but it will continue to run its PR bullshit to keep us kind hearted nationalists happy. Anyone who thinks there will be a United Ireland by peaceful means needs there head examined. The south is leaderless I have no doubt the British government could buy & sell Cowan as he just doesn't cut it as a leader. Its hard to say it but war is the only way a United Ireland will come about, but that won't happen anytime soon. This place is a bomb waiting to explode

Not a big fan of democracy, then?

Yep, I am sure that once the DUP, UPP, and the tories are bedfellows once again they will  govern democratically and I am sure the nationalist community will feel strongly that democracy will reign supreme in that alliance.

Isnt democracy great tonto when you get to call all the shots!

[Maguire01]

This doesn't surprise me one bit. I have said it all along, Britain will never give up this place but it will continue to run its PR bullshit to keep us kind hearted nationalists happy. Anyone who thinks there will be a United Ireland by peaceful means needs there head examined. The south is leaderless I have no doubt the British government could buy & sell Cowan as he just doesn't cut it as a leader. Its hard to say it but war is the only way a United Ireland will come about, but that won't happen anytime soon. This place is a bomb waiting to explode

War indeed. How would it come about by war?

At the end of the day, there's no point in seriously talking about a UI until the majority want it. It's not going to happen anytime soon anyway, so it doesn't matter who the next British government it is, or the next one, or the one after that. And Cowen is hardly going to be in government for unification talks!

Anyway, considering that almost all of the business takes place at Stormont, does it really matter as much as to who gets the Westminster seats now?

[Ulick]

At the end of the day, there's no point in seriously talking about a UI until the majority want it. It's not going to happen anytime soon anyway, so it doesn't matter who the next British government it is, or the next one, or the one after that. And Cowen is hardly going to be in government for unification talks!

I hope your're not in management. Threre is going to be a nationalist majority within ten years and you believe we shouldn't be talking seriously about an UI? When should we then - the day after the referendum?

[Zapatista]

Storm in a tea cup. Unionism has always been united against nationalism and Republicanism. It's what they do. This idea that we have to divide unionism is ridiculous. A united Ireland will be better achieved with united unionism being convinced of the merits of a UI. Divide and conquer is a tactic used if you don't have a moral authority.

[Ulick]

If not else this explains why the story about Jeffery Donaldson didn't appear in the papers last Sunday. Andy Coulson the Tory spin doctor and former editor of the News of the Screws is most likely involved.

[T Fearon]

Does this not impress upon the SDLP and Sinn Fein the necessity of a nationalist voting pact to minimise the umber of unionists elected. Instead the SDLP seems to be running around trying to form pacts with everybody and anybody but Sinn Fein (ie two weeks ago it was Fianna Fail , last week the UUP).